Sliding doors are used on vans and mini-vans to provide access to the vehicle for passengers in second or third row seats. Due to the vehicle's geometry and kinematics of door movement, when the sliding door is fully open, there is still a significant portion of the door opening covered by the sliding door itself. Typically, sliding door track mechanisms on vans comprise an upper track which is attached to the upper portion of the vehicle body (close to the roof) to provide direction for sliding door movement. This upper track typically extends along and above the opening. An upper roller assembly is attached to the top of the sliding door and moves along the upper track. A middle track is provided which is attached to the middle portion of the vehicle (the van body) and extends from the rear edge of the opening rearwardly on the side of the van. This middle track provides direction for sliding door movement of the door. A middle roller assembly is attached to the middle rear portion of the sliding door and moves along the middle track. Then, a lower track is typically provided which is attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body to extend along and below the door opening. This lower track also gives direction to the sliding door movement. A lower roller assembly is attached to the lower portion of the sliding door and moves along the lower track.
Typically, a latching system is provided which is attached to the sliding door and keeps the door closed by engagement to a striker or strikers which are attached to the vehicle body. Inside and outside handles attached to the sliding door and connected to the latching system by rod or cable are provided. The purpose of the handles is to release a latch or latches to open the sliding door.
This typical and well known current sliding door operation is such that, when the door is in its normal open position, a significant portion of the door opening is covered by the sliding door itself. If this door can be moved from its normal open position partially blocking the opening to a further or extended position, ingress and egress through the opening would be made more comfortable.